tiranty



POST MARKING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 22, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet l Fly-2- Jan. 1,1929.

P. H. L. TIRANTY POST MARKING APPARATUS Filed Jan- 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 1, 1929. 1,697,031

P. H. L. TIRANTY POST MARKING APPARATUS Fly: 0

Filed Jan. 22v 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet Jan 1, 1929.

P. H. L. TIRANTY POST MARKING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 22, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Jan. l, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIPPE-HENRI 'LouIs rmnnrv, or mars, names.

POSTMABKING APPARATUS.

Application filed January 22, 1926, Serial No. 83,078, and in France January 24,1925.

This invention relates to an apparatus which enables to post-mark at different postage values letters and other articles to be sent by post and to automatically register and add up thedilferent values, the only action to be performed in order to pass from one value to another consisting in the displacement of an index which is moved in front of the number indicating the postage.

' The apparatus according to my invention comprises essentially a device forming a part of the stamp which is provided with a. series of postage faces corresponding to the different values and is movable in order to allow of one of said faces being brought in position to post-mark, said devicebeing combined with a series of bosses which follow its movement and act differently upon the counting device according to the value of postage. In the preferred embodiment the bosses act upon the counting device with a certain lost motion and it is the amount of this lost motion which varies when the value of postage changes.

According to, one mode of construction of the apparatus, the device provided with the several e faces has a rotary motion and the series of bosses already mentioned is integral with it.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood, it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are given merely by way of example, and in which: i

Fig. 1 is a. front elevation of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a plan view.

Figs. 3 and 4 are two side elevations of the right and of the left side respectively.

Fig.- 5 is \an underside view.

, Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6 Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a detail view.

Fi 8 is a view showing the safety device for the stamp.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the apparatus comprises a frame a, carrying a platform 6, Fig. 6, supported by springs b and designed to receive the envelope to be post-marked.

- The stamp carried by acasing a sliding along a guiding post a fixed upon the frame is laced above the platform I). It comprises: lst a part (1 Fig. 5, designed to trace striae or to print a text upon the envelope, secondly a part d comprising adjustable elements constituting' a dating device and, thirdly a part d? for the printing of postal service or other directions. All these parts are only accesfor instance, on the outer face of which are fixed a milled knob and a dial e bearing graduations which may be brought opposite a stationary index.

It will be evident that by turning the knob 6 the cone willbe rotated and will bring each of the faces d in the lower or printing position. The value of the number carried,

by the face isv readable on the dial.

' As will be seen in Fig. 6, the cone 6 is provided with a funnel-shaped cam 7 upon the edge of which are formed aseries of bearings corresponding to each of the faces (1 and to each postage.

A reciprocal rod 9 provided with a retracting springg is placed opposite the cam f. It actuates a lever g which by means of a pawl system causes the forward movement of an integrating counter It when the reciprocal rod effects its upward movement.

The push-handle g and its spring are located in a tubular casing g which is integral with the frame and constitutes a guide for 'by a crank lever 5;.

Upon the shaft 7' is fixed a ratchet wheel is in engagement with a double pawl 70 which rotates at 7: upon the frame but allows the rotary mot-ion of the crank lever in one direction only. t

A shutter Zconceals the greater portion of the stamp except at the instant when it comes in contact with the envelope placed upon the platform. This shutter is operated by a bellcrank lever m pivoted at m upon a projecting part of the vertically moving casing c which carries the stamp. The horizontal arm of said lever is provided wth a groove m engaged upon a spindle m fixed upon the frame.

Owing to the present arrangement, as soon as the stamp begins its ascending movement. the lever m oscillates and the'shutter Z conceals the stamp. During the downward movement, the shutter remains in the same position and it is only when it reaches the lower end of its movement that it uncovers mechanism to a pinion p which engages a stationary toothed rack p The pinionp rotates alternately in one direction and in the other according as the slide ascends or descends but it is only during the upward reill turning movement of the casing that it draws along the roller 29 and that the ribbon moves forward. 7

The mode of operation is as follows:

Assuming that an envelope has to be postmarked for instance at 45 cents. The knob 6 will be turned so as to bring the number 45 opposite the mark, thus bringing the stamping face bearing the number 45 to the lower position and the corresponding boss opposite the reciprocal rod g.

The envelope being then placed upon the platform 6 the crank j is given one turn clockwise. The excentrics 7' cause the levers i to oscillate and the casing o to descend so'as to bringthe stamp in contactwith the envelope and with the mark.

Beforethe end of the movement, the shutter Z has been withdrawn so as to allow the post-marking.

As soon as the stamp rises the shutter conceals the portion d of the stamp thus preventing fraudulent use whiclr" would consist in pressing an envelope from the bottom upwards against the stamp.

During the upward movement the of the cam 7 which is opposite the reciprocal rodg raises the latter-and compels t to accomplisha 'movement' the extent of which depends on the .prominence of sald boss. Consequently there is a certain lost mot on between the instant when the ascending movement begins again and that when the cam and the push-handle come in contact.

This lost motion varies with the boss brought opposite the reciprocal rod. The latter causes the first register wheel of the counter h to turn a part of a. revolution which increases with the increase of its as cending movement. Consequently the counter moves forward an extent which is proportional to the postage.

Considering the different postages usually employed the amount of five cents has been chosen as a unit for the integrating device. Consequently for a postage of 25 cents the counter moves forward the extent of five units, it will move forward to the extent of nine units for 45 cents and so on.

For every postage the knob e is actuated in order to bring the new postage opposite the mark in the place of the preceding postage, this is eflected immediately/and the new postage may be applied. The integrating device sums up automatically all the various postages. I I

The apparatus is completed by a shutter g provided with teeth 9 which produce upon the sides of the printed matter blanks or breaks which prevent printing simultaneously several envelopes by means of carbon paper interposed between-them.

In order to prevent several envelopes being printed by taking away from the side the upper envelope while the stamp is retained in its lower position, a roller 1" provided with claws 1" may be applied under the stamp as will be seen in Fig. 7 it is retained in its symmetrical position in which the claws are not in contact with the envelopes by means of a spring. The circumference of said roller bears upon the envelope which is being operatedupon in such a manner that if the latter is pulled whilst the stamp is lowered, the roller drawn by friction oscillates and its claws tear the envelope which will then be rejected b the post oflice.

The safety device s own in Fig. 8 which is arranged in combination with the shutter effects the locking of the stamp in order to prevent its being rotated (after post-marking) before the correct value of the postage has been registered by the counting device.

With this object in View, the driving shaft 7' is provided with a' shoulder t having a recess t against which bears a roller on a bell crank lever a: pivoted on a stationary axis 11: provided with a guide :2 in which engages an axis connected to a movable horizontal slide 3 provided at its end with a latch *y -for engagin in any one of the recesses .2 formed in the faces of the stamp (Z.

The shoulder formed upon the dri shaft 7' is provided with a recess Z displaced relatively to the recess t in order to controlby means of roller '0 a bell-crank lever Z which operates the shutter Z having for its object 110 conceal the main part of the stamp except at the instant when the latter comes in contact with the envelope to b'e-post-marked placed upon the platform. Retracting springs keep both rollers wand o constantly in contact with the shoulder t. In the position occupied by the parts in Fig. 8, the stamp is ready to print. The roller '0 occupies the recess l and the shutter Z uncovers the stamp (Z, the roller '21 bears upon the circumference of the shoulder" and the stamp d is locked in its position by the latch y v When the, post-marking has been effected, the shutter covers the stamp but the latch y only disengages the latter when its driving roller 41 comes opposite the recess 2?, that is to say only when the counter has been actuated drical body instead of upon a conical one.v

Similarly the said faces may constitute a part of a longitudinally movable bar provided with a series of bosses in place of the cam.

The apparatus above described may comprise modifications or approprlatc constructional variations differing from those represented as example in the annexed drawings without diverging from the limits of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a post-marking machine, a rotatable die member having different postage dies thereon for rotation into operative position, a cam thereon having bosses thereon corresponding to the die values, a reciprocable spring spindle opposite said bosses for actuating a counter, means to, reciprocate the cam and die a definite distance to cause the die to print, and to reciprocate the spindle an amount determined by the particular boss at that time in operative osition and in accordance with the value eing printed.

2. In a post-marking machine, a rotatable die member having difierent postage dies thereon for rotation into operative position, a

cam thereon having bosses on it corresponding to the die values, a reciprocable spring spindle opposite said bosses for actuating a counter, means to reciprocate the cam and die a definite distance to cause the die to print, and to reciprocate the spindle an amount determined by theparticular boss for the time being in its operative position and in "accordance with the value being printed, and

devices brought into operation by said means to lock the member against rotation and change of value during the printing operation.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name. PHILIPPE HENRI LOUIS TIRANTY. 

